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The Gladiator (Part 2)
''Chapter 1'' "A sky attack?" Brinoa, Toa Hagah of Plasma, was stunned by the simple brilliance of the idea. The Arena's one weakness was the sky, and, if this 'Great' Kanohi Dragon was to be trusted, then an army of perfect Air warriors was waiting on a mountain just a few short miles away. Drevac, a fellow Toa Hagah, nodded. "It's genius, isn't it," he grinned, popping his knuckles. "The Arena has an open top, at least for the time being." "What do you mean, 'for the time being'?" Brinoa demanded. "I didn't see a ceiling." "There is a huge, retractable dome that can be raised or lowered at any time around the Arena. If Brutaka closes it, our one chance of escape is gone." "Oh." Drevac laughed. "Don't worry about it!" Drevac said. "The chances of Brutaka raising the dome are nonexistant. Litterally. First, he'd need to fix the control pannel. Then the Earth pumps and the Sky Tubes. It's not going to happen." "You're possitive?" Brinoa asked, still unsure. "Absolutely." If we get out of here, then I can join the rebellion, Brinoa thought. I'd fight Teridax. Beat Teridax. And after that... Well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. A trumpet sounded in the distance, echoing down through the dungeon. "Why do I get the feeling that's for you?" Drevac asked grimly. Brinoa sighed, standing. She was still almost powerless from using her Nova Blast, and if Brutaka wanted her to fight again, she'd probably die. Do not move! Antrilax's mental voice boomed in the two Toa's minds. A squad of my lesser brethren are coming for you. We brought the attack forward; there's been a... developement. Do not try to escape your cell. They will be there soon. "What?" Brinoa said. "What's going on? What ''developement!" ''Stay where you are! They'll be there soo- AAAAH! "Antrilax?" Drevac gasped. "Antrilax!" ''Chapter 2'' Ten minutes ago... Axonn lifted his Axe, testing its balance. While the weapon had never failed him in battle, one could never be too careful. Wind howled accross the mountaintop; unusual for Mt. Aornian. Usually, the large company of Air Toa would keep the skies calm. "Sir!" a Le-Matoran called to him from down the long paved street. "They need your help! It's... it's Toa Lewa!" "What?" Axonn demanded. "Where!" "At Antrilax's dome, he just showed up-" Axonn brandished his Axe and sprinted towards the Great Dragon's headquarters. The powerful wind made complete sense now. A few hours ago, they had been planning to take the fight to Brutaka. Instead, Brutaka had brought the fight to them. Axonn ran head-on into the gale, making slow but steady progress. Then, suddenly, the wind stopped. Completely. Axonn sprinted towards Antrilax's dome; his gut was telling him this was where the attack was centered. Blasting open the door with lightning, Axonn found himself watching an immense battle between Lewa Nuva Phantoka, Antrilax, and three Kanohi Dragons. Lewa, as unlikely as it seemed, was winning. As Axonn approached, he found that his former ally was no longer wearing a Krana; instead, he wore his normal Miru Nuva. His armor, however, was different, Instead of his regular dark grey padding and twin jet packs, he wore silver armor and dual mechanical wings. In his hands, he carried two double-barreled flamethrowers, which appeared to have been crafted out of Lewa's old jet packs. Three miniature rocket launchers were mounted on each of his shoulders. "What happened to you, old friend?" Axonn muttered to himself, rushing forward. Blasting Lewa with lightning, Axonn jumped high into the air, preparing a deadly downward strike. The Air Toa, stunned, barely had time to dodge Axonn's attack. Antrilax, the only unwounded Kanohi Dragon, leapt forward, striking Lewa on the back, ripping off his rocket launchers. Lewa grinned beneath his Kanohi. The rockets exploded, sending Antrilax flying backwards through the room. "Antrilax!" ''Axonn shouted. He started towards the powerful being, but then altered his course and ran for Lewa. The Toa of Air turned to face him. Lewa started to attack, and then hesitated. He looked like he coming out of a trance. "Axonn?" the Air Toa murmured. Then Lewa's eyes widened, and he attacked again. "Quickrun!" Lewa cried, fighting for the control of his own body. "I'll badhurt you! I can't control it any longer!" Axonn recognised the symptoms of Krana mind control. But Lewa wasn't wearing a Krana. The crimson warrior dodged a blast of flame from Lewa's weapons, then rolled behind the Toa Nuva. As he suspected, his pack had several wires fused into it. ''The same technology that allowed Lewa to transfer his memories into Tanma, and vice versa, is being used to control his body, ''Axonn thought. ''If this pack is connected to Lewa's brain stem, then these wires must be used for mind- and body- control. '' Armed with this knowlege, Axonn swung his Giant Axe at the pack. He missed. Lewa ignited the engines on his mechanical wings and took flight. "Nice try, Axonn." It was hard to believe that that cold voice could be coming from Lewa's mouth. "Who- What are you?" Axonn demanded. "I am a Krana-Kal. I was fused with this armor to conrol Lewa Nuva's mind. He is ours now." Axonn frowned. If he could just electrocute the pack... Then he saw it. Axonn unleashed a bolt of lightning from his Giant Axe, which Lewa dodged with ease. "You'll have to try harder than th-" Lewa screamed as the lightning reflected off of the mirror and struck him on the back, frying the Krana-Kal. He dropped to the ground unconscious. 'Go, 'Antrilax's voice boomed in Axonn's mind. 'Start the attack. I will make sure that this Air Toa is safe. ''' Axonn nodded. "How do I get down from the mountain?" he inquired. One of my brothers will take you. His name is Dryn. You will find him just outside of the dome. '' Axonn rushed outside, found the Dragon, and took off. "Let's go, Dryn. We have some Toa to save." The Kanohi Dragon growled, stooping down so that Axonn could climb on its back. "Wait, you don't have wings," Axonn began, "So how are we going to- AAH!" Axonn was nearly thrown off of Dryn's back as the Dragon jumped off the mountain. Axonn gulped. They would crash into the side of the mountain long before hitting the ground. ''Use whatever powers you possess to keep the two of you from hitting the mountain, Antrilax's voice ordered. Axonn nodded, even though he knew that Antrilax couldn't possibly see it. Then, summoning his will, he fired bolts of pure energy into the mountain. The reflected force pushed them to the side, but it wasn't enough. If something didn't help soon, they were both dead. Looking down, Axonn saw that he had maybe twenty seconds to create an escape plan. Then, out of the blue, an Ice slide began to form beneath them. Axonn grunted as he and Dryn hit the smoothly sloping structure. The slide curved every so slightly, slowing their fall gradually. They were still traveling at high speeds, but they were decelerating fast enough that they should be safe. "Thank Mata Nui for that," Axonn murmured. Then he saw the end of the slide. It finished in a sharp curve, forming a very fast, very deadly ramp. As they approached the ramp, Axonn prepared to jump. Then, as he and Dryn were thrown into the air, he jumped, putting as much distance between himself and the Kanohi Dragon as possible. He landed heavily on the desert sand, rolling for several feet before stopping. Dryn, on the other hand, landed on his feet, creating a smalll crater in the ground. The Dragon climbed out of the crater and cocked his head to the side, as if to say, "Are you alright?". Axonn grinned beneath his Kanohi Rode, climbing onto Dryn's back. "Room for one more?" Axonn whirled to face the new voice. "I'm Nuju, Toa of Ice. I think you owe me one." Axonn grinned. "You saved our necks back their, friend. Climb on." The white Toa Metru nimbly jumped onto Dryn's spiny back, the mechanical eyepiece on his Kanohi whirling. "You were Onewa's brother, right?" Axonn asked. "I am. Why do you refer to him in the past tense?" "He's dead." Nuju's eyes narrowed. "Who did it?" "Brutaka. The being who we are going to destroy today," Axonn replied. Nuju didn't reply, but the temperature around them dropped several degrees. They sat in silence as Dryn began to run, heading for the Arena twenty miles away. Chapter 3 ''The Roma Nui Dungeons, an hour later... The horn sounded again. Brinoa breathed deeply, preparing for the coming battle. While she had no weapons, she could still fight with her powers. A scream filled the dungeon. Then another. Then the sound of metal on metal. The sounds of combat. "They're coming for us!" Drevac said. Any trace of his usual humor had drained from his face. Neither Toa found joy in battle, not when thousands of innocent Matoran were at risk. "Do you feel that?" Brinoa asked. "Feel what?" Then Drevac felt it: it was getting colder. Much, much colder. "Get back!" '' The voice came from outside. Drevac and Brinoa complied, moving away from the door. A few seconds later, the door flew backwards, missing Drevac by inches. "Come on!" the voice demanded. The two Toa exited the cell, ready to meet their rescuer. As it turned out, their new friend was a small Kanohi Dragon, who appeared to have learned to talk. "Climb on Dryn's back!" the voice ordered. Obviously, the Dragon could not talk. The true talked was directly behind them, wielding two Crystal Spikes. "I'm Nuju, Toa Metru of Ice. Climb on the Dragon, we've got to get out of here." Down the hall, an alarm bell clanged. "They're this way!" a Skakdi voice shouted. Brinoa jumped onto Dryn's back, excitement racing through her. ''I'm back in combat, Brinoa thought. Time for a fight. And I hoped I'd get a few days rest. Dryn raced back towards the entrance to the tunnel, snarling with annoyance at the weight of three Toa on his back. They were almost out when a clawed figure appeared before them. It was primarily colored gunmetal grey, with silver and white highlights. It stood over twelve feet tall, with a head slightly reminiscent of the Dark Hunter Krekka. The creature had two small wings on its shoulders, useless for anything but gliding over short distance. "Anyone know what that thing is?" Drevac asked. A primal roar filled the chamber. "Angry," Nuju replied calmly. "And did I mention frozen?" With a twitch of his Crystal Spikes, Nuju sent a blast of super-cooled air at the monster. The creature was quickly frozen in a fifteen-foot-tall block of Ice. "Now lets go, Dryn," Nuju ordered. "That won't hold him long." The Kanohi Dragon rushed by the frozen beast, breathing heavily. Brinoa noticed that several hairline cracks were already appearing on the edges of the cube. "Hurry!" she said urgently. They had barely made it up the wide stairway up into the Arena when they heard the glass cage shatter. That wasn't the worst of it. We can't win this, ''Brinoa realised. ''There's three of them for every one of us. They had entered a battlefield. ''Chapter 4'' Axonn ducked, rolled, and slashed through the hordes of Skakdi, Rahkshi, and furious Vortixx in search of one being: Brutaka. When he caugh a glimpse of his enemy's golden Kanohi Olmak, he made a b-line straight for him. "BRUTAKA!" he shouted. His former friend turned to face him, smug certainty in his eyes. "You can't win this, Axonn," Brutaka said. Axonn attacked with a fury, swinging his Axe in a deadly arc. Brutaka barely caught the blow on his blade in time to stop it from cleaving his head from his shoulders. The smug look in his eyes faded, replaced by cold, calculating fury. "You're angry." A statement, not a question. Axonn's next attack sliced open Brutaka's chest armor, leaving a three-inch-wide cut. Brutaka howled, retaliating with a furious blast of indigo energy. Axonn caught the attack on his weapon, deflecting it into a nearby Rahkshi. For the next several minutes, neither warrior gained the advantage. Dodge. Parry. Action. Reaction. Then, finally, Brutaka's wound began to take its toll. Gasping, the blue and gold fighter sank to his knees. "Kill me," he whispered. Axonn laughed. "I'd never kill you, Brutaka. I'll drag you in chains to Antrilax. He'll decide what to do with you." Brutaka snarled, leaping forward in one last desperate attempt to defeat his archenemy. He was successful, stabbing Axonn in the gut. Axonn gasped, falling over backwards. "You've- you've killed me." "Yes," Brutaka smiled grimly. "And you've killed me as well." "What?" Axonn frowned. "Your cut isn't nearly deep enough to do any permenant damage." "No," Brutaka laughed, even though it hurt. "Your Axe is poisoned. I had a very rare, very deadly venom spread over its edge, for when we planned to have you fight." Axonn coughed. His eyes went out of focus, and his final breath left his body. "Goodbye, old friend," Brutaka said. In his final moments, the cruel, evil being felt true remorse for his actions. He remembered the years he spent fighting alongside this noble warrior, all the times they spent together. He prayed for forgiveness, hoping that, if an afterlife existed, he would find mercy there. Pain exploded behind his eyes, tearing at his brain. And then he died. Chapter 5 Three minutes ago... On the other side of the Arena, things weren't going well. Somewhere between eight and twelve Makuta had escaped their cells, and were doing their best to kill as many Toa as possible before fleeing the scene. Nuju fought in silence, his Crystal Spikes tearing foes apart with ease. It's funny, ''Nuju thought, ''a few hundred years ago, I would have been disgusted by these creatures and the mindless violence they caused. Now, not only do I take part in this bloodbath, I understand it and am prepared to kill my enemies when necessary. '' ''It's a cruel world. Nuju felt a claw pierce his side, but ignored the pain, stabbing his weapons into the Rahi who had struck him. Seeing an opening in the battle, Nuju sprinted to the walls of the Arena. His Crystal Spikes enabled him to climb with ease, and within a few minutes he was watching from the stands, his mechanical eye searching for one figure: Axonn. He saw the giant warrior accross the Arena, trading blows with a gold and blue figure he assumed was Brutaka. Nuju leapt back into the field, landing on the back of a dying Vortixx. He quickly dispatched the writhing figure, and started towards Axonn. Almost there! Nuju arrived just in time to see Brutaka slump down into the bloody sands. Both powerful beings were dead. "Pull out!" Nuju heard a voice call. Looking around, he saw it was a Toa of Stone known as Drantus. With one last sad look at Axonn, Nuju ran towards the sound of Drantus' voice. As far as the invaders could tell, all of the prisoners had been set free. It's time to go home. ''Epilogue'' Brinoa jabbed the spear she had found into a Skakdi of Psionics, causing immediate death. She and Drevac had been seperated when they had been attacked by the giant Muaka, who clearly remembered their scent. She heard Drantus' call for retreat, but was surrounded by two Vortixx and Makuta Antroz, who she figured had been a prisoner in the Arena dungeons. She killed the Vortixx with two bolts of lightning, and attempted to stab Antroz in the gut, but he dodged, caught the spear, and snapped it in half with apparent ease. "You just don't understand, do you, Toa," Antroz jeered. "Understand what, Makuta scum?" Brinoa replied, keeping at a distance to avoid being hacked into pieces by Antroz's blades. "Brutaka isn't smart enough to control a large venture such as this Arena," the red Makuta said. "Their had to be some higher intelligence behind this fiasco." "You think Brutaka's not ''smart ''enough for this?" Brinoa laughed. "He worked for the Order of Mata Nui and the Brotherhood of Makuta. I think he might be a little smarter than you think." "You don't get it," Antroz grinned harshly, sheathing his blades. "I read his mind. Or what's left of it. Someone or something damaged it, leaving only his anger and his memories. Oh, he still sounds clever, and he can still come up with smart- even ingenius -plans, but if he thinks to hard..." "If he thinks to hard... what?" Brinoa asked. "His brain would implode." "Then if he's not behind it..." Antroz grinned harshly. "I am." He fired a bolt of Shadow at the unsuspecting Toa, knocking her unconscious. Then he turned and flew high into the air. "Toa!" he shouted. "I give you one choice! Surrender, and you will fight for the rest of your lives in the Arena, or else fight now... and die. But I warn you. If you die, you will have no chance of freeing the rest of my captives: three thousand Matoran, who I plan to force to fight Rahi to the death." Antroz's smile froze on his face as the Toa began to retreat. "Stop them!" he shouted. But it was no use. The Toa took to the sky. Each Air Toa could support at least one other warrior. One even flew down and picked up Brinoa. Within minutes only one Toa remained in the Arena. Lewa. The Air Toa had arrived shortly after the others, revived by Antrilax. He flew straigh up to Antroz, his eyes blazing. "You sicken me, Antroz." Antroz frowned. "Obviously," he replied. "But why you're telling me now... now that I don't understand." "I just thought I should say-tell you before you die." Antroz felt himself torn apart as Lewa exploded into a Nova Blast, just before his Antidermis evaporated and he died. Three miles away, the procession of Toa watched as the Arena exploded, blown apart by Lewa's blast. The Arena was gone. But the war continued. ''END Category:Stories